Lullaby
by xfmoon
Summary: Can you sing the darkness away?


**Spoilers:** If you squint there's a tiny spoiler for 5x17 Red, White and Blue.

**Disclaimer: **I'm not a musician so I don't own any songs, nor am I a Hollywood screenwriter so I don't own The Mentalist.

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Wusssssshhhh. Jane, ever the light sleeper, stirred. A distinct sound could be heard through the closed bedroom door. It was a succession of small, light and rapid bumps. Bump, bump, bump, bump. There was also a slight wushing sound accompanying it. Had he been a dog he'd have perked his ears. It was getting closer and closer and...

He pushed himself up on his elbows, and looked over in the direction of the door, in the dim light he could still see the outlines clearly. Then he looked to his right, to see if the person next to him had noticed, but she hadn't, in fact she was still fast asleep. He smiled. The sounds had stopped right on the other side of the door, then the handle was turned very carefully. Jane lay back down, closed his eyes and didn't move a muscle. The pitter patter started back up again followed by the wussshhing sound. It stopped again by the foot of the bed, then Jane felt a light pressure as someone crawled from the bottom and up. When it was halfway up he opened his eyes and gently grabbed hold of the little creeper.

_"Daaad!"_ A little boy's voice exclaimed quietly. _"I thought you were sleeping."_

_"And I thought __**you **__were too." _

_"I had a bad dream. The monsters were back."_ The boy's innocent grey-green eyes were wider than usual, worried. _"Can we sleep in here?" _The boy pouted just like his mother, and when they did Jane couldn't say no to either of them.

_"Sure just be quiet so you don't wake up mommy."_ He pulled the boy closer, and with him followed the white, wash faded, stuffed bunny he carried around with him everywhere. _"Did Frankie have a bad dream too?"_ He asked and the boy nodded, his big eyes serious.

The other side of the bed started moving. _"Okay what's going on here?"_ A no-nonsense but tired voice asked.

_"Everything's fine, go back to sleep honey. Oscar just had a nightmare."_

_"...and Frankie."_ The boy added.

_"Right, Oscar and Frankie had a nightmare."_

Even though he was lying with his back to hers, he could feel her smiling softly.

_"You wanna sleep in the middle sweetie?"_ She didn't have to ask twice, before the little guy had wrestled out of his grip and was climbing over him to lie between them. Jane turned around when the boy had passed, and found that his child had already snuggled into his mother's warm and protective arms. He scooted closer putting his arm around the both of them, closing his eyes and inhaling their scents contently. Silence descended on the little family. Until...

_"Mom?"_

_"Mmm"_ He could tell she was already halfway to dreamland again.

_"I'm scared." _

_"Of what dear?"_

_"To fall asleep again."_

_"Don't worry baby, daddy will protect us." She_ said it without the faintest hint of sarcasm. He was glad she knew that protecting his family would always be his highest priority.

And without warning she started humming quietly, while she stroked the little boy gently over his dark brown curls, _"hmm, mmm, mmm, Gone to Kansas city, Kansas city here I come, mmm, mmm,"_ He started humming along and she opened her eyes and looked over at him, with her knowing, expressive eyes. The boy felt his eyelids get heavy, then started yawning, and she smiled while continuing to hum. Closing her eyes again she enjoyed letting the tones loose in the room, while cozying up to her young child. There was something so utterly motherly about the way she did that. He had known her for a long time and known she had more sides to her than the tough exterior she displayed to the world, this gentle nurturing one was his favorite. He felt so blessed. He could just stay awake and look at these two forever. That had been his prize for persevering. Vengeance, redemption were words of his past. Right here in his arms was the future.

The boy, on the brink of sleep, his mouth forming the words to the song his mother hums. Knowing it unconsciously from having heard his parents singing it to him. From having more than once been lulled to sleep by it, when he was an infant. He would be too big for this in a couple of years, hate them when he becomes a teenager, but in the end always come home and deep down he'd always love them no matter how embarrassing they'd be. For now Jane's life was filed with smiles, laughter, music, and a family again. He could live with losing sleep if it meant having to scare of the occasional monster under the bed or listening to his wife singing their child to sleep.

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**A/N:** Got inspired by a Tumblr post, and the epi of course.


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